Grounding for the

Metaphysics of Morals

Immanuel Kant

Enriquez | Lee | Lim | Montano | Rombaoa

Who is Immanuel Kant?

Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg, East Prussia in 1724.Immanuel Kant was born in

Königsberg, East Prussia in 1724.

He synthesized early modern rationalism and empiricism

His other works include ‘The Critique of Practical Reason’, ‘Anthropology from a

Pragmatic Point of View and Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason’ and ‘Groundwork’.

● Start of the conflict○ Duty from practical reason means concept of

experience○ Base on experience, we cannot cite a single act

from pure duty which has moral worth○ Thus, some philosophers refined this human act

as self-love○ However the big question is whether this self-love

is right under the concept of morality○ We cannot answer the question by frailty of

human nature because of Reason which legislates human nature but inclined to one’s own interest

Introduction

• One is by no means to infer that we have treated duty as a concept of experience

• Duty is prior to all experience because it comes a priori through reason

• Moral system should be free of theology, anthropology, physics etc - but it is still important

• One thinks only of reason, not a mixture of reason and incentive

Body

• Laws govern how things in nature work and only the rational being can follow the “representation” of those laws

• A “command” is the presentation of an objective principle, and the formula of that is an imperative.

• Imperative - objective, pleasant - subjective

• Skill is analytic in that one knows the consequences of one’s actions, as there is only one consequence to a particular action

Proof towards a Metaphysics of Morals

• The objective law gives no other option

• Hypothetical imperative act according to necessity and will to a certain result

• Categorical imperative represents accordance of the subjective maxim with objective law

• “Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law”

Imperatives

1. Man depressed while still in possession of his reason

2. Man who cannot pay for an item and yet wonders if he could borrow money and not pay it back

3. Man with amazing talent who prefers to indulge and let his talent rust

4. Man who is fortunate but does not wish to to help others in hardship

Examples to test first categorical imperative

• This could be a natural law, but the will could conflict

• Understanding maxims from the point of view of reason means that one can avoid bias of always thinking himself the exception

• Duty must be grounded in the categorical imperative

• Law is universally valid for all rational beings regardless of their particular nature

From the examples, Kant says..

• Is it necessary for all rational beings to always act in accordance with universal law and maxims?

• Human being exists only as an end and it is relative and thus subjective

• Rational nature exists as an end in itself; “representing his own existence”

• If man commits suicide it would mean that he preserves what is left of his happiness

• If man man lies to get money, he uses the other man as means for money

• If man does not use his talent, he does not promote the harmonization of a duty and mankind

• If man does not help, it means that taking a human subject as an end in itself

From the examples...

• “The idea of the will of every rational being as a will giving universal law”

• The will is subject to the law in the double sense that it is also its author

• Duty emerges for all those besides the supreme hear as a result of the relation of rational beings to one another

• Dignity has no cost or replacement; it has inner worth which can’t be exchanged

• Price is something that can be replaced

• Morality is when humans are treated as ends; the only condition for dignity

• All maxim have a form, a matter, and a complete determinationo “act in accordance with that maxim which can at

the same time make itself a universal law”

Conclusion

• Good will = free of all evil

• Actions which coincide with the autonomy of the will are permissible; those do not are impermissible

• Objective necessity without recourse to holy justification is called obligation

• Morality is not imaginary because both the autonomy of the will and the categorical imperative are true and necessary a priori

Conclusion

Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals.Thank you.

REFERENCES

http://www.egs.edu/library/immanuel-kant/

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/http://www.educa.madrid.org/web/ies.laserna.fuenlabrada/filosofia/proyecto/kant/kant1.jpg

http://www.educa.madrid.org/web/ies.laserna.fuenlabrada/filosofia/proyecto/kant/kant1.jpg